Trump news – live: Fauci issues stern warning to president's campaign on Covid as Amy Coney Barret grilled on guns, abortion
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Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s third nomination to the Supreme Court, is on Capitol Hill for another day of senate confirmation hearings amid a backdrop of outcry from Democrats over Republican-led efforts to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during an election season in which 10 million Americans have already voted.
The federal judge faced tough questions from Democratic senators and declined to reveal whether she would support overturning key rulings on the Affordable Care Act and Roe v Wade, which, respectively, provides insurance protections for millions and ensures access to women’s reproductive health care options nationwide.
Former Vice President Joe Biden has also addressed questions from the president and his allies about so-called “court-packing” efforts, saying he was “not a fan” of adding seats to the nation’s top court in an interview on Monday. Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading epidemiologist, has warned the Trump campaign against a blitz of in-person events its planning across the country, telling CNN about the rise of new Covid-19 cases: “The data speaks for itself.”
Check out The Independent’s live updates and coverage below:
Trump impressed by Amy Coney Barret vs Kamala Harris
Donald Trump told his campaign rally he watched the exchange between Kamala Harris and Amy Coney Barret.
“I compared her [Kamala Harris] to Amy, great future Supreme Court justice, and I will tell you Amy’s made a great impression,” Trump said, as the crowd chanted “fill that seat”.
Trump agrees with Biden – 56 per cent of people shouldn’t vote Democrat
Donald Trump was always going to jump on this one.
After a Gallup poll showed 56 per cent of voters said they were better off now than four years ago, Biden was asked people who feel better off today should vote for the Democratic nominee.
“Well if they think that, they probably shouldn’t,” he responded.
Trump didn’t waste any time weaving it into his campaign rally routing.
“Yesterday Biden told those 56 per cent of Americans that they probably shouldn’t vote for him and for once I agree with Joe,” Trump said.
“He has no idea what he’s saying. How the hell do you lose to a guy like this is that possible?”
Kamala Harris is ‘so pathetic’, Trump said
Donald Trump ramped up his focus on Kamala Harris, calling her “pathetic” at his campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
“I just watched on television, she’s so pathetic,” Trump said.
BREAKING: ‘Can you imagine if you lose to a guy like this?’: Trump ignores polls and tells rally Biden 'is shot, folks'
Donald Trump ignored multiple polls showing him losing Pennsylvania to former Vice President Joe Biden as he said he cannot “imagine losing to a guy like this?”
The 74-year-old Mr Trump continued to paint the 77-year-old Mr Biden as too old and too senile to be president, contending he forgot on Monday in what city he was campaigning.
“I’m running against the single-worst candidate in the history of American politics,” he said as the large crowd chuckled in unison. “Can you imagine if you lose to a guy like this?”
The Independent’s Washington Bureau Chief John T Bennett is following the Trump rally as it unfolds.
‘Can you imagine if you lose to a guy like this?’: Trump ignores polls and tells rally Biden 'is shot, folks'
The latest breaking news, comment and features from The Independent.
Trump says he ‘doesn’t have time to be nice’ as he pleads with suburban women to like him
Lagging among suburban women, Trump made his case to the voting demographic during his Pennsylvania: “I don’t have time to be nice.”
“I ask you to do me a favour, suburban women would you please like me? Please, I saved your damned neighborhood ok?” Trump said.
“I don’t have that much time to be nice. I can do it but we’ve got to go quickly. They want me to be politically correct, oh yes let’s discuss it let’s talk about it over the next 10 years, no no no.”
Barrett doesn't recall Trump health-care remarks
Amy Coney Barrett says she doesn’t recall seeing President Donald Trump’s statements that he planned to nominate Supreme Court justices who would repeal the Affordable Care Act prior to her nomination for an open seat.
Her comments came in response to questions from Sen. Kamala Harris of California, the Democratic nominee for vice president. Harris questioned Barrett via video stream from her office in the Capitol rather than attend in person due to coronavirus concerns.
Asked if she was aware of Trump’s comments before her nomination, Barrett said she could not give a yes or no answer.
“I don’t recall hearing about or seeing such statements,” she said.
She later said Democratic senators may have referenced Trump’s comments during conversations after her nomination but prior to her confirmation hearings.
Harris also noted that Barrett wrote an article critical of the court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act five months before Trump nominated her to an appellate court in May 2017. - AP
Trump, claiming he’s immune from Covid-19, says he will kiss every man and woman in the crowd
“Now I’m immune they tell me, I could come down and start kissing everybody, I’ll kiss every guy, man and woman, man and woman, look at that guy how handsome he is,” Trump said at his campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
“I’ll kiss him, not with a lot of enjoyment but that’s ok.”
Likely with as much enjoyment as holding a “Trump Pride” rally with no mention of the LGBTQ community in promoting it, as Madeline Roth reports.
President invites supporters to 'Trump Pride' rally with no mention of LGBTQ+ community
Pennsylvania event set to be headlined by Lara Trump and Richard Grenell
Trump targets new Biden family member to accuse of corruption
“Just this week we learned that another member of the Biden family is getting rich off connections to Joe, his son-in-law is cashing in on the China-virus pandemic, just like Hunter – where’s Hunter?” Trump said at his campaign rally today, without naming the family member.
He is likely referring Biden’s son-in-law Howard Krein, who has reportedly been investing in start-ups focused on the Covid-19 pandemic response while acting as an adviser to the campaign of Joe Biden on its Covid-19 pandemic response.
The story broke today in Politico, outlining how Krein is the chief medical officer of investment firm StartUp Health. The firm began soliciting pitches from entrepreneurs in March to invest $1 million in products that addressed the outbreak – a month before he began participating in daily calls to brief his father-in-law on health policy during the pandemic, Politico reported.
Meanwhile, outside of Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania right now
‘You all have immunity now’, Trump said to people in rally crowd that have recovered from Covid-19
Trump asked his rally in Pennsylvania how many contracted coronavirus, to which there was a large response.
“Yeah, a lot of people. A lot of people," Trump said, before telling them “you all have immunity now”.
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